Monday, June 20, 2016

Budgeting & Insourcing....Rainy Weekends....

I know lots of folk head off to a movie, restaurant or café to feel warm and cozy, and be entertained.

We like to stay home, snug as a bug in a rug, as my Mother used to say.

The rain was torrential in our part of the world over the last 48 hours. We had more than 20cms, or over 8 inches of rainfall in that time. We have a rain gauge and my husband takes great delight in reporting this information to me, so I can assure you that is correct.

For us, reading and snuggling under cosy rugs was the order of the day. This beautiful copy of Les Miserables was a Mothers Day gift, and I've been looking for an excuse to get started on it, so this was perfect book reading weather!

Our 19th Anniversary passed without comment from either of us earlier this month as we've been so busy, so in a fit of guilt, my Darling went out and splurged on not one, but two bunches of my favourite Columbian Roses. These I split up and spread all over the house, as both singles and smaller bunches. Do you love this thrifted vintage pink jug with apple green handle as much as I do?

These ones just look like velvet, don't they...

Butternut pumpkin (squash) was inexpensive this week, so after roasting one whole in the oven for an hour or so to soften it, I discarded the seeds, removed the flesh and whizzed it with the stick blender to yield a lush thick pulp. Adding some milk, chicken stock cubes, ground ginger, garlic and onion to a third of it, made a gorgeous soup which we served with a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of honey. There's still at least two more meals of soup left or perhaps a pumpkin and ginger slice or a pumpkin fruit cake in the making....hmmm...decisions, decisions...

I succumbed to marketing pressure and tried the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cookie Mix. At around $4, it was a cost effective alternative to a café treat, giving us 16 large cookies, for just 25c each! Winner, I say!

When you're housebound, it's time to make a little more effort with making home the place to be.

Setting the table beautifully is always a priority here, so we did just that for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Here's another little thrifted pretty....some vintage placemats housed in a sweet box, and with pretty English countryside scenery on them. Smaller than the usual placemats in my stash, I can only assume they are meant for a caravan. I use them for setting the Breakfast table. With pretty plates, and vintage cutlery, they're a lovely way to start the day, however gloomy.

A dreamcatcher was started for a teen friend...

...to go with a sweet altered clipboard for the same friend. We love doing these. A coat of pearly paint, sanding of the clip to make it more distressed looking, and then embellishments of all kinds to pretty them up. They're almost too lovely to use as clipboards. I'll be sharing a tutorial on how to make these, this week...

We enjoyed a couple of old favourites from our movie collection....The Others, which is sensationally spooky on a rainy afternoon, even if you have seen it a dozen times before...The Grinch which we love all year round, and a new purchase we hadn't watched yet, Mad Max Fury Road...a wonderful bit of escapism if you haven't seen it yet!

Dear Mimi,We do the same on rainy days. Read, sew and watch movies. It has rained here all week, with no sign of respite. Very unusual for Perth! I'm glad you liked the Betty Crocker mix. I recently bought a couple for a gluten intolerant friend, they were on sale for $1.80 a pack. This will go in a hamper for an Xmas gift. xx

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My mantra...

I never met a sequin I didn't like. I have a tshirt that says 'I was going to save the world, but I got distracted by something sparkly'. I aim to have as much glitter in my life, literally and figuratively, as possible. You too? Join me and we'll sparkle together for less. I promise.